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Legal fees

Description Page Legal-fees

There are different types of legal fees associated with purchasing a property in France.

For an older property (completed for more than 5 years) - The total conveyancing fees and taxes payable for the purchase of an existing property are between 7% and 10% of the purchase price, excluding estate agency fees.

For a new property (completed for less than 5 years) - You will pay around 2% in fees and registration taxes, plus VAT at the rate of 20% on the purchase price (except for sales between private individuals), excluding estate agency fees.

Although these fees and taxes are often referred to as ‘notaire fees’ (frais de notaire), in fact the actual notaire fee (émoluments) itself is only about 1%. The rest comprises stamp duty registration taxes (droits d’enregistrement) and disbursements.

Do not hesitate to seek advice from an independent tax consultant, the French tax authorities or your notary.

Content Legal fees

Change of ownership fees (Frais de mutation):

A fee is charged when property in France is transferred from one owner to another. This fee, legally fixed by the authorities, is based on the agreed purchase price of the property and on whether or not it is old or new. The notary is responsible for collecting this fee and transferring it to the local or regional administrative bodies.
For more information on change of ownership fees, please click on Chamber of Notaries or contact your notary.

Charges for mortgage security (Frais de garantie):

Whenever you take out a bank loan in France to finance your French property, the loan is secured with a charge on the property.

First charge on property
If you buy an old or a new existing property involving a transfer of ownership, the security associated with this loan is called a first charge on property ("PPD – Privilège de Prêteur de Deniers").

Contractual mortgage
However, if there is no transfer of ownership - as in the case of refinancing an existing loan - or if you are purchasing a property under construction, the security is contractual mortgage ("Hypothèque Conventionnelle").

To encourage the purchase of old or new existing property, first charge on property fees (PPD) are based on a lower rate than those for a contractual mortgage.

Notary Fees (Frais de Notaire):

The notary's fees include the cost of various formalities as well as the performance of certain acts, such as the deed of purchase and the registration of the mortgage. These fees, called "émoluments", are based on the purchase price and the amount borrowed. Notary fees are legally established by the Chamber of Notaries and are usually non-negotiable.

Each party may use his/her own notary during the transaction at no extra cost to the buyer. The fees will be shared equally between the respective notaries.

Bouton standard BNP-PF

homePage footer mortage infos

Mortgages are subject to acceptance by BNP Paribas Personal Finance. For all mortgages the borrower has a 10 day cooling off period. If the sale is subject to mortgage acceptance, any sums already paid must be reimbursed by the seller if the mortgage is declined. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on a mortgage or any other debt secured on it. Changes in the exchange rate may increase the Sterling equivalent of your debt.